How big do opossums get?

Opossums are rodents that in size resemble smaller dogs-they are approximately 2.5 feet long from nose to tail and can weight from 8.5 to 13.5 pounds. They live in South and North America and they are omnivorous animals which mean that they will eat almost anything: fruit, vegetables, meat, insects, eggs, plants and grains. Opossum will also come close to humans to forage their garbage in search for food. These animals are very competent when it comes to search for food-it has been proven that they can find and remember location of food better than most other tested animals, including cats, rabbits, rats, dogs, etc. They will also run through the maze faster than rats. Because they will delightfully eat slugs and snails, it is good to have them near your home, so if you see one in your garden, don't scare it away, at least until they fight off all the snail menace. They are also opponents to rats because they eat similar foods-which mean that they will also be good in fight against rats as well as cockroaches.



Maybe you didn't know, but opossums have partial or total immunity to snake venom of snakes found in America and they will not scare away from fight with it-because snake can be a tasty meal for them. They will eat them with lots of pleasure-chewing with each of their 50 teeth.

Opossums have opposable thumbs and primates and opossums are only mammals with such thumbs. They also something else interesting in rodent world, and this is prehensile tail which can grasp and wrap around tree limbs-this comes in handy for climbing and sitting on trees as well as carrying different objects just like they have a hand.

Opossums are nocturnal animals and this is the reason why their eyes appear black. This is actually they large pupil which covers majority of their eye sockets. They also have iris, but it is simply not very visible from their big pupil.

When in danger, opossums will run, articulate noise, defecate and urinate and in the case of final emergency play dead.

If you need help, we service the entire USA! Click here for a wildlife removal specialist in your town!

Go back to the main Opossum Removal page for more information about How big do opossums get?.